Equal Parts Water
by meganekko-bomb
Summary: Short reflective Ed/Roy thingy. Written for Social class with word prompt 'egalitarianism'.


**Equal Parts Water**

Disclaimer: Quoth the authoress- Disclaim all!

Set after Brigadier General Grand is killed by Scar in episode 14 or something.

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"Don't preach to me about your asinine egalitarian ideals, Fullmetal, they will hold no bearing in this case."

"But this is completely unfair! They didn't do anything!!"

"Silence yourself or I will have you court-martialed! This case has absolutely nothing to do with you!" The Fuhrer King frowned deeply at the young alchemist, his disapproval obvious.

Edward turned to his superior officer, fire burning in his golden eyes, "Do something!" he hissed through clenched teeth at the older man.

Colonel Roy Mustang surveyed his younger charge, a slight narrowing of his eyes the sole indicator of his distress. "This is a decision of the Fuhrer, Fullmetal, I have no authority regarding this matter at this point."

His monotonous, low voice only enraged the small blonde further, causing him to slam his hands on the table in frustration. A red blush worked across his cheeks as he fumed, exhaling deeply through his nose as he tried to contain his anger. "This military, this State Alchemy, it says 'Alchemist, be thou for the people'. How do you call yourself a military when you do nothing but ignore their cries for help? If anything, you're creating them!" Edward stood up, fully glaring at the Fuhrer King, "You're nothing but a bigoted, fascist hypocrite!!"

"You are hereby suspended for an indeterminate period, Fullmetal. Any more outbursts like that and I will be forced to take more serious measures." The Fuhrer spoke in a dangerously calm voice, the quiet undertones daring the enraged teen to continue.

The Colonel placed his hand on the teen's shoulder, standing up behind him and leading him away from the conference table.

"I'll still be expecting a report on the outcome of the trial, Colonel Mustang." the Fuhrer called out as the two inferior officers crossed the threshold of the room.

Roy nodded stiffly, pushing his subordinate from the room.

Upon reaching the colonel's office, Edward rounded on him, spitting out his disgust. "What the _hell_ was that? Why didn't you help me?"

Roy observed him coolly, his midnight blue eyes betraying no emotion. "And what do you propose I should have done, Fullmetal? Had I spoken out like you, we both may have been discharged for obstruction. What would you do then?"

"Well, I can't just sit back and let those people be punished for something they didn't do just because of their race! It's not right!"

The raven-haired man sat in his desk, scooting closer the the mound of paperwork and sifting through it until he unearthed Edward's report on the recent incidents. He flipped through it briefly, a slight frown clouding his usually stoic features.

"It says here that they weren't even directly involved, but were only nearby when the Brigadier General was assassinated."

"That's right." confirmed Edward, "They were just in the crowd, like any of the other people. The only difference is their race. Which really isn't a difference at all!"

Roy chuckled a little at this.

"What's funny about this?!" demanded the younger man.

"You really do have some noble ideals there. So optimistic and young."

"What are you telling me that when you're older, you can't believe in equality and fairness?"

"No, it just becomes tarnished when you come to discover how very few people share your ideas, or are willing to do anything about it."

"So basically, you're saying that it's impossible to hold on to your glorified naivety when you grow up because the weakness of others becomes too much of a disappointment in the end." Edward slumped onto the sofa, his head in his hands. "That's bleak." he said resignedly, scrubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands.

"You're strong, though." Roy said after a long silence, "You might be able to give people the strength they need to fight back and restore some sense of 'asinine egalitarianism', as the Fuhrer puts it."

The blonde looked up in wonder, disbelief clear across his expression. The Colonel stood, walking around his desk and retrieving his coat from the back of the sofa that Edward was currently slumped on.

"Come for a walk with me, Edward."

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"Why are we out here? This is a weird place to come just for a chat."

Edward looked out at the destination he and the Colonel had reached, a smallish wharf completely surrounded by cherry trees and lush green lawns. It had no actual name, but it was commonly accepted that this place was called the Sakura Docks, after the cherry trees. A long dock stretched out from the bountiful gardens, reaching out into the clear water like an arm extending from the land, trying to grasp some unknown distance.

"It's peaceful. When something that is important needs to be said, it shouldn't be said amongst a stressful environment."

The blonde smiled, leaning into the wind that was caressing his face and playing with his hair. "So what do you want to say to me?"

"People are like water, Edward."

"Huh? I don't-"

"Look." Roy pointed out to the smoothly flowing water, his long thick finger directing the path for Edward's eyes to follow. "Different kinds of water, they mix and flow, but you always see it as one solitary thing. There may be water from a thousand different places, but you see it as just that. It's water. You do not discriminate against anyone. You think that everyone should be given all equal treatment, because they are just people to you, right? All one within the flow."

Edward nodded, absorbing the sudden change of the Colonel's attitude.

"But some people, they divide it up." the raven-haired man sat on the edge of the deck, dangling his fingers into the soft current. "They see the water as the drops, not as a whole. Some go further and change into ice, refusing to believe that they are at all like the water that surrounds them. I believe this was the case today. Those people who witnessed the Brigadier General get murdered were just part of the flow until the incident turned everyone else into ice."

Unsure of what to say, Edward contented himself with watching the Colonel think deeply on what to say next, sakura petals flying on the wind and brushing against his serene features. The older man's midnight eyes were unfocused, staring off into the sunset, the midnight irises alight with an orange glow.

"But you have a fire within you, Edward. You could melt the ice, I know it." Slowly, the Colonel lifted his hand and placed it on the younger man's shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly, "Make everyone part of the flow again. I know you can do it."

"Colonel..."

"Call me Roy, you're suspended, remember?"

The feeble humour was appreciated by both parties, mild grins dusting their faces.

"Okay, R-Roy... thanks."

"I only spoke the truth."

"I don't get to hear the truth very often in this line of work, it's actually really refreshing."

"If only everyone thought the way you and I do."

"Oh but it's asinine. Didn't you hear? Egalitarianism isn't exactly the foremost political standpoint right now."

"Everyone has to realise we're all just water eventually."

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End file.
